Hunter finds body in woods near golf course, PA cops say. ‘This is a whodunit’

A hunter discovered a body in a wooded area near a golf course on the first day of Pennsylvania pheasant hunting season, authorities say.

The discovery was made Saturday, Oct. 25, on state game lands near Mannitto Golf Club in Loyalhanna Township, according to Pennsylvania State Police.

It’s believed the victim, 64-year-old Robert Lee Friend, was killed either that morning or the previous night, state police said, calling his death “suspicious.”

An autopsy was conducted Oct. 27 to determine Friend’s cause of death, Trooper Steve Limani said in a news briefing streamed by WTAE.

Friend was a transient, according to Limani, and he likely wasn’t hunting in the woods because he did not have any equipment.

“The fact that he was found in the state game lands... there is a high likelihood he was placed there,” he said during the news briefing.

Troopers have asked anyone with information about Friend’s death to contact Troop A at 724-697-5780.

Limani said it’s believed someone “inflicted some type of injury” to cause Friend’s death, but investigators are “basically starting from scratch.”

“This is a whodunit, most likely, from the jump,” state police said. “This is the test of all tests for an investigator.”

Loyalhanna Township is about a 40-mile drive east from Pittsburgh.